Cosmetic holder



Sept. 23, 1941.

R. N. HOULIHAN COSMETIC HOLDER Filed Feb. 15; 1940 INVE TOR ATTORNEYSPatented Sept. -23, 1941 UNlTED STATES PAT 2,256,644 cosnm'rro noneRudolph N. Houlihan, Bridgeport, Conn, assigns:- to The Bridgeport MetalGoods Msnniaotnrl s Company, Bridgeport, Conm, a corporation oiConnecticut 7 Claims.

This invention relates to cosmetic holders, particularly oi the type forholding sticks of cosmetic such as lipstlcks, shaving soap, and thelike, and which employ a molded plastic material for the cap or covermember enclosing the bodvof the container.

It has been found that in containers of this type employing a cover orcap member of molded plastic material there is a good deal of expansionand contraction of the molded cover or cap. These are generally molded01 this material in a solid condition and then drilled or bored out tothe proper internal diameter to fit over the body or shell of thecontainer. It has been found that such covers may fit all right whenapplied and then sometime later may be found to be too tight or tooloose due to gradual contraction or expansion. It is therefore an objectof the present invention to provide a construction for the body or shellof the container in which the contact surface between the shell and theinner wall or the cap is greatly reduced over what it would be with aplain cylindrical outer wall for the shell, and therefore the Irictionalresistance between the two members as the cap is slid on or oil of theshell is greatly reduced insuring comparatively easy sliding movement ofthe cap should this cap have shrunk somewhat, and also to so form thewalls of the body or shell that they may yield slightly in case the caphas shrunk so that it may be readily slid oil or slid onto the shelleven after changes in the cover.

With the foregoing and other objects in view I have devised theconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part ofthis specification. It will of course be understood that various changesand modifications may be employed within the scope of the invention.

In this drawing:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a holder involving this invention with aportion or the cover or cap broken away;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section substantially on line 2-4 0! Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a slight modiflcation and with theinternal operating elements omitted;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view 0! the cap and body members in separatedrelation;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the upper end of the holder used for lipsticlsscomprising a metal shell or body member it and a cap or cover l l ofmolded plastic material, a great typeset which plastic material are nowavailable on the market under various trade names and may be produced'in different colors for difierent artistic efiects. These caps areusually molded as a solid cylinder and then drilled or bored out to theproper internal diameter to slide over the metal body member or shellcontaining the lipstick to close the open end ii of this shell and alsoenclose the shell itself as shown in Fig. 1. it has been found that dueto the properties of these synthetic molded materials of graduallyexpanding and contracting after they are made that after a while theymay be too large or too small to properly fit the metal shell eventhough it may have fitted when first made or applied. Thus if it shrinksand the container has stood for some time it may be so tight m to bedimcult to remove, or it may have increased in size so as to become tooloose.

I have found that if instead oi making the inner body or shell itcylindrical I make the outer wall of spaced longitudinal extendingportions the contact surface between the er shell and outer cap may begreatly reduced over what it would he with a cylindrical shell thusgreatly reducing the friction between them should the cap shrinksufliciently to permit removal of the cap, and the outer wall or theshell may also be constructed so that it may yield inwardly slightlyunder contraction of the cap maintaining an even frictional engagementbetween the two so that they will not bind. Thus the shell in may bedrawn from sheet metal with a series of spaced relatively wide portions13 extending longitudi' nally for the length thereof withthe connectingwalls l4 between them or considerably less diameter, the outer portionsi3 being on the are of a circle of substantially the inner diameter ofthe cap II as shown in Fig. 2, or they may be transversely curved onarcs i5 of somewhat smaller radius than the radius of the internal wallsI6 0! the cap as shown in Fig. 3, thus still further reducing thecontact surface engaging the inner wall or suriace or the cap and thusstill further reducing the friction between them. The curved walls i3and M 0! Fig. 2 or M and Ii of Fig. 3 are connected by continuous shortwalls I1, and because of thisarrangementthe outer walls l3 and 15 mayyield inwardly slightly un- 'der pressure on their outer walls, theconnecting walls l1 bending laterally slightly, which would not bepossible were the outer wall a continuous cylindrical wall, and thisslight yielding is even more readily secured in the construction shownin Fig. 3 where the radius oi the wall portions 15 is somewhat less thanthe radius or the inner wall of the cap. Thesame internal operatingmechanism for shifting the cosmetic carrier may be usedin the formof'Fig. 3 as in Fig. 2, these elements merely being omitted in Fig. 3 tosimplify the drawin In order'to hold the cap "against accidental removalfrom the shell the shell may be lanced adiacent the inner end of theshell and spring ears bent outwardly as shown at It to yieldingly engagethe inner wall of the cap to irictionally hold it in position.

This construction of shell may be used with diilerent types of holdersemploying different types of mechanism within the shell for holding andcarrying the cosmetic stick. present construction I have shown itapplied to what is known as the swivel type of holder in which anoperating hand piece or head I9 is rotated to advance the lipstick fromthe open 2. A cosmetic holder comprising a body-mem In the end of theshell to expose it for use or to with- I in an intermediate spring,sleeve 25. This resilient or spring sleeve 25 is located at the innerher to hold the cosmetic and open at one end, a

hollow 'cylindrical cover of molded plastic material embracing saidbody, and said body comprising spaced relatively wide longitudinal sidewall portions with the outer suriaces'thereoi forming arcs ofa circle ofsubstantially the same diameter as the inner diameter of the cover, saidside wall portions being separated by relatively wide longitudinalchannels.

3. A cosmetic holder comprising a body of resilient sheet metal to holdthe cosmetic and open at one end, a hollow'cylindrical cover of moldedplastic material embracing said body, and said body being provided inits side walls with spaced, longitudinally extending transversely curvedraised portions which are relatively wide and I '01 substantially thesame curvature as the inner walls of the cover so that the outer curvedwalls may yield inwardly slightly on pressure from the cover and thereis a bearing of material width on the cover.

side of the outer shell I 0 and between this.

' outer shell and the inner shell 20. As the shell 25 due to itsresilient action tends to expand it frictionally engages the innersurfaces of the curved walls ll of shell ill and is held stationary,these walls ll giving suflicient bearing and friction for this eflect.Therefore as the inner shell 20 is rotated the pin 231s carried alongthe spiral slot 24 to advance and retract the carrier 2i carrying thelipstick or other cosmetic stick 26. To give a smoother action thesleeve 25 is slotted to provide spring lugs at which are bent inwardlysomewhat to irictionally engage the outer surface of the sleeve 2@.Also, the sleeve 20 may have another longitudinal slot 28 spaced fromthe slot 22 to provide a relatively narrow strip of wall '29 which isforced outwardly somewhat so as to yieldingly engage the inner suriaceofthe sleeve 25 to give a frictional bearing and smooth even operation ofthe inner shell.

This shell may have an outwardly extending bead 30 at its upper endunder which the upper end of the sleeve 25 engages to hold them inassembled relation. As above indicated, however, it is to be understoodthat this inner mechanism for advancing or retracting the lipstick ismerely shown by way of example and to illustrate a complete article, butthat other types of operating mechanism may be used with this improvedouter shell construction. Also, the same internal mechanism for shiftingthe cosmetic carrier may be used in the two forms of Figs." 2 and 3.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. A cosmetic holder comprising a body mem- 4. A cosmetic holdercomprising a hollow "sheet metal body and a hollow cylindrical coverembracing said body, the side walls of said body Y comprising relativelywide longitudinally extending alternate depressed and raised portions ofsubstantially equal width and with the outer surfaces of the raisedportions transversely curved of substantially the same curvature as theinner wall 'of the cover to engage the inner wall of the cover andprovide a bearing of material width on the cover but with much lesscontact surface with this wall than would a continuous cylindricalsurface of the same di N -ameter. l

portions each comprising spaced relatively wide arcs of a cylinder withone of a greater diameter than the other, and each arc of one portionbeing between two arcs of the other portion and connected at its edgesto the arcs of the other portion by connecting walls, and the arcs ofthe outer portion being in a cylinder of substantially the diameter ofthe inner wall of the cover.

6. A cosmetic: holder comprising a body member to hold the cosmetic andopen at one end,

a hollow cylindrical cover of molded plastic rna-.

terial embracing said body, and said body comprising spaced relativelywide longitudinal side wall portions to engage the inner wallof .thecover with a contacting surface of material width s and with theouterwalls of said portions'transher to hold the cosmetic and open atone end, a

hollow cylindrical cover embracing said body, said body being of generalcylindrical shape having in its outer wall relatively wide longitudinalchannels separated by relatively wide longitudinal rib portions havingouter transversely curved walls of substantially the same curvature asthe inner walls of the cover to engage the inner walls of the cover. 1

versely curved on arcs of a slightly smaller radius than the insideradius of the cover.-

7. A cosmetic holder comprising a hollow sheet metal body and a hollowcylindrical cover of molded plastic .material embracing said body. theside walls of said body comprising longitudinally extending alternatedepressed and raised portions with the outer surfaces of the raisedportions being relatively wide and transversely curved on substantiallythe same curvature as the inner wall of the cover to engage the innerwall of the cover, the edges of the raised portions being connected withthe edges of the intermediate depressed portions by short integralwalls, and the depressed portions being the arcs of a circle ofless-diameter thanthe internal diameter of the cover.

RUDOLPH N. HOULIHAN.

